


Tradition

by glitch_writes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Break Up, Getting Back Together, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 10:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9068182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitch_writes/pseuds/glitch_writes
Summary: Sleepovers are a birthday tradition.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this all in one night, so... good luck I guess lmao. HBD Ennoshita!!

The snow crunched under Tanaka’s boots as he paced back and forth in front of the door. He raised his fist to rap his knuckles against the wood five times now, but every time his hand faltered, the questions pushing his courage out into the cold wind biting through his scarf to be whisked away.

Was Ennoshita getting sentimental like he was on their first 26th of December apart?

Was Ennoshita thinking of him at all?

Was Ennoshita curled up with someone else in his bed on his birthday?

 

*

 

The first time Tanaka went over Ennoshita’s house for his 16th birthday, he fell in love at first sit with his bed. Then he passed out on it.

There was nothing wrong with his futon at home; he liked it more than most beds his friends had. But Ennoshita’s bed was different. It was a smidge too soft, enough that he sank into it when he sat on its edge. When Ennoshita started up some movie and turned off the lights, Tanaka just _had_ to take the chance and lay down, at the expense of laying across some of the others. Kinoshita and Narita were safe on the floor, but Noya suffered Tanaka’s legs draped over his with minimal shouting.

Ennoshita froze up when Tanaka rested his head on his lap. “Use a pillow,” he muttered with a little less confidence than usual.

“But then I can’t see the movie,” Tanaka replied with a grin back up at him, fully expecting to get pushed away at any moment.

But instead, Ennoshita rested a hand on Tanaka’s shoulder, turning back to the screen with an embarrassed smile Tanaka didn’t think much of at the time.

He woke up to the others discussing sleeping arrangements. “I only have three guest futons. Tanaka can keep the bed since he likes it so much.”

“What about you, Chikara?”

“I’ll take a futon. You would fit better on the bed with Tanaka because you’re sma--”

Tanaka shot up quickly to cover Ennoshita’s mouth; he was _too_ brave when it came to Noya-san. “Birthday Boy and me can take the bed.”

Ennoshita, weirdly enough, didn’t argue the idea.

The bed was big enough for the two. Sometimes their shoulders touched (Ennoshita refused to sleep with Tanaka’s feet by his face), and maybe it was a little cramped, but Tanaka didn’t mind. Having someone closer made it a bit warmer.

When he woke in the morning, he caught Ennoshita peeking at him over the covers. “Somethin’ on my face?”

“Thanks for coming to my birthday,” came his quiet reply, muffled through the blanket.

“Thanks for lettin’ me use your bed,” Tanaka laughed weakly back.

The covers weren’t high enough to hide the blush creeping up Ennoshita’s cheeks. “You can use it any time.”

“Your face is turnin’ red. You sick or somethin’?”

Ennoshita’s arms shot out, shoving Tanaka off the bed and directly on top of a squawking Noya. “Whoops. Arm spasm. Cause I’m sick.”

 

*

 

Ennoshita’s finger traced the shell of Tanaka’s ear, trailing down his neck, across his collarbone, down to the center of his chest. “I love you, Ryuu.”

Tanaka had heard the words a thousand times before, but he loved them every time. “Say it again.”

Ennoshita’s bed was their paradise the rare few chances they could meet up while he was in university. Talking, kissing, touching, or silently enjoying each other’s presence as they held each other was all either wanted when they had the chance to be together, and Ennoshita’s 20th birthday was no different.

Things weren’t always perfect; they had their arguments, like any couple. And sometimes their busy schedules made the distance more than physical. But in these moments, hiding under the covers together, it was easy to forget everything wasn’t flawless.

“Make me,” Ennoshita replied with a sly smile.

Tanaka was quick to pin Ennoshita down to the bed, lips hovering over Ennoshita’s neck. When Ennoshita gasped, expectantly moving his head to the side to give Tanaka more space, Tanaka grinned - and went for the true assault, tickling Ennoshita’s exposed thighs. Ennoshita giggled, squirming at the touch. “N-not fair!”

“Say it~” Tanaka purred against Ennoshita’s neck, giving it a quick peck as he continued tickling the sensitive skin.

“I won’t give in… that easily,” Ennoshita laughed between gasps for air.

Tanaka nipped at his neck this time, pleased with the different sort of gasp it elicited from Ennoshita. “Saaay iiiit.”

“Okay, okay,” Ennoshita panted, turning to face his boyfriend better. “But only if you do that again.”

“Anything for the birthday boy,” Tanaka grinned before bringing his lips back to his neck.

 

*

 

Tanaka had a habit of falling asleep on Ennoshita’s bed most times he went over, and Ennoshita’s 17th birthday get-together was no different.

When he opened his eyes, the movie Ennoshita set on was no longer playing, and the room was empty. He reluctantly rolled out of the bed, reaching the door just in time for it to open and reveal Ennoshita holding a folded up futon. “Whatcha doin’?”

“I didn’t want to wake you,” Ennoshita replied as he passed, kneeling to unroll the bedding in his hands. “You can keep the bed.”

Tanaka crouched on the other side to help him. “Uh uh. You ain’t sleeping on a futon on your own birthday.”

“Tanaka, it’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with a futon.”

“There is when your bed’s so damn comfy.”

“I can use the bed any other time. Go back to sleep.”

“Nuh uh.” Tanaka grabbed Ennoshita’s wrist to drag him to the bed. “We’ll share.”

“We don’t need to,” Ennoshita argued weakly, putting up no fight as Tanaka pulled him down beside him.

“Still got enough space for the two of us.” Not as much as last year, he realized as he tried to wiggle his shoulders. “Might need to spoon to fit together,” Tanaka joked as he turned to his side to face Ennoshita.

The red on Ennoshita’s cheeks quickly spread across his face as he choked on a forced laugh.

Tanaka raised an eyebrow; every now and then Ennoshita would react a little off when Tanaka joked like that or got too close, but never this bad. “You alright?”

“I’m fine.” Ennoshita sat back up, clearing his throat. “I'll sleep in the futon.”

“Wait, wait.” Tanaka grabbed his wrist again, searching Ennoshita's red face, and suddenly it all clicked into place. The lingering glances, the smiles when he thought Tanaka wasn't looking, the occasional blush at Tanaka’s touches; Tanaka hadn't thought anything of them before, but now… “You like me?”

Ennoshita’s bewildered eyes and stumbled words answered the truth for him. “No! No, I--” He inhaled sharply, his quivering chin betraying him. “I'm sorry, you weren't supposed to find out,” his voice cracked, “you weren't--”

Tanaka reached for him instinctively, pulling him close against him. “Hey. It's alright.”

Ennoshita stilled in his arms. “You're… you're not mad?”

The only thing he was mad about was that his friend couldn't be open about who he liked the way he could be open about Kiyoko. “I ain’t mad. Just surprised is all.”

“Please, don’t tell anyone that I...”

“Don’t you worry about that.” He rubbed Ennoshita's back, the other boy's hair tickling his chin as Ennoshita hid his face against his chest. “Sorry that I don’t…” The rest of the sentence failed to make it out, _‘don’t like you back’_ scratching his throat.

“It’s fine. I didn’t expect it,” Ennoshita’s hand clutched the back of Tanaka’s shirt, “but it still hurts,” he confessed, his forced laugh followed by a choked sob.

Tanaka held his friend tighter as he cried, guilt and helplessness both fighting and failing for a spot in his heart; Ennoshita wouldn’t want him to feel guilt over what he couldn’t control, and this was about Ennoshita’s feelings, not his own. As the minutes passed, Ennoshita calmed, his breathing falling into step with Tanaka’s. “Can’t blame ya for how you feel. Ya got good taste,” Tanaka teased, setting himself up for a joke at his own expense.

But Ennoshita didn’t take the opportunity, instead lifting his head enough that he could face Tanaka with his red eyes. “I do,” he replied, and Tanaka felt his heart skip a beat. “Thank you. For not pushing me away.”

“That’s what friends are for, right?” He rubbed Ennoshita’s back again, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Can we sleep like this?”

“Please,” Ennoshita whispered back.

Tanaka didn’t fall asleep until Ennoshita did, pressing his lips against his friend’s soft hair before closing his eyes.

When he woke up with Ennoshita still in his arms and their legs tangled together, he caught Ennoshita turning his gaze away quickly. “Somethin’ on my face?”

A small smile won it’s place on Ennoshita’s reluctant lips. “We should get ready for practice.”

“Ah, crap. I should run to my place first.” Tanaka pressed a kiss against his friend’s forehead; he couldn't return his feelings, but he could remind him it was okay. “I’ll see ya at the gym.”

Ennoshita sighed at the gesture, closing his eyes contently. “Hm. See ya then.”

 

*

 

Ennoshita’s surprise when he opened the door was worth the three hour trip to his dorm. “Ryuu?!”

“Happy 19th birthday, babe.” Tanaka smirked as he leaned in to kiss Ennoshita, his stunned boyfriend taking an extra second to catch up to speed and return the kiss. It was hard to pull away; he hadn’t tasted his lips in months. “Didn’t want to wait to see ya.”

Ennoshita couldn’t hide his fond smile as he stood aside to let Tanaka into the room. “I’m going home for break _tomorrow,_ Ryuu.”

“That’s a whole extra day, Chika. Couldn’t do it.” Tanaka tossed his scarf - a Christmas gift he got in the mail from Ennoshita - on a chair before he unzipped his jacket. “‘Sides, didn’t want to break the birthday sleepover tradition.”

Ennoshita stepped up to him, taking hold of the sides of Tanaka’s jacket. “Since you’re here… I was thinking, maybe we could start a new birthday tradition,” he hummed, looking Tanaka straight in the eye as he slowly pulled the jacket off.

Tanaka stuttered a few random syllables before he nodded a bit too eagerly, and the both of them broke into laughter before their lips met again.

The laughter, kisses, and smiles that stretched across their faces never faded throughout the night as they took a new step forward between the sheets.

 

*

 

“Tanaka, what are you doing out here?!”

Ennoshita said he was _fine_ with the quick gift-giving and cake they had in the locker room for his 18th birthday, but Tanaka didn’t feel right doing just that. Their overworked captain getting ready for another round of nationals deserved to have some fun.

And it didn’t feel right to not spend Ennoshita’s birthday sleeping over. It had become a tradition, hadn’t it?

Alright, those were all just excuses he told himself as he rushed through the dark and snow to knock on Ennoshita’s bedroom window. He had something on his mind lately. _Constantly_ on his mind.

But he may have been a year too late.

“That offer still up to use your bed any time?” he asked as he climbed - more like fell - through the window.

“Tanaka, what were you thinking?! It’s snowing! Where are your gloves,” Ennoshita scolded as Tanaka stood up, wiping the snow off Tanaka’s shoulders. “Where’s your scarf?! You have a scarf, don’t you?!”

“Lost it,” he grinned at Ennoshita fretting over him.

“Tanaka, I can’t believe you,” Ennoshita huffed back, placing his hands on the sides of Tanaka’s exposed neck and dipping his fingertips under the back of his beanie.

His warm hands felt too damn good, both the much needed heat against his skin and the calloused fingers that sent butterflies through his stomach. He placed his hands on Ennoshita’s waist, unsure what kind of sign the confusion in Ennoshita’s pretty eyes was. “Do ya remember what we talked about last year?”

Ennoshita furrowed his eyebrows, his eyes searching Tanaka’s. “What about it?” he asked, his hands beginning to slip away from Tanaka’s neck.

“Am I too late?” He pulled Ennoshita closer, regretting he didn’t think of some proper speech now that he was left spitting out whatever words came to mind. “You’re all I think about, you’re all I--”

Ennoshita pulled him closer too roughly, bringing their lips together too hard, and Tanaka wouldn’t have had it any other way. He returned the desperation with his own rough kiss, pulling Ennoshita tightly against him. Noses were in the way as each hard kiss was followed by another, pulling away only for brief moments for air that was forgotten in the moment. Ennoshita’s hands between them worked on unzipping and pulling off Tanaka’s jacket, and then his beanie, breaking the kiss only to get him dry pajama pants before pushing Tanaka down onto the bed.

Any witty remarks that floated to his mind were lost when Ennoshita crawled on top of him, eager to bring their lips back together. Amatuer kisses got a little better with each passing minute, shirts discarded under the excuse of _‘Body heat is warmer’,_ and morning practice was forgotten just that once in favor of sleeping late in each other's arms.

 

*

 

“Happy 21st birthday, babe.”

A kiss.

“Thank you, Ryuu.”

Tanaka stepped inside. Ennoshita helped him with his coat and scarf. They sat down on the bed.

‘Tradition’ had become ‘routine’.

Routine was fine. There was nothing wrong with routine.

Except it wasn’t just ‘tradition’ that became routine. Arguments became routine. Chances to visit turned down in favor of getting a little extra work done became routine.

The phone calls, the pet names, the ‘I love you’s became routine.

Ennoshita rested his head on Tanaka’s shoulder, letting the silence linger for a moment longer.

Tanaka loved him. Was _in_ love with him. And he knew Ennoshita felt the same.

But time and distance chipped away at them, and neither knew if there was enough left to piece back together.

Tanaka rested his head on Ennoshita’s, the two of them staring at the wall in front of them. “So who’s gonna say it?”

Tanaka could hear the wind through the closed window and the faint electrical buzz of Ennoshita’s laptop through the silence.

“Does it need to be said?”

Tanaka closed his eyes. “Guess not.”

Neither moved.

“Do you want to stay the night?” Ennoshita whispered.

Tanaka nodded.

The two crawled under the covers, arms wrapped around each other but neither saying a word, neither looking at the other. Tanaka held on too tightly, while he still could.

He wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but when he woke up to Ennoshita watching him silently, it hurt more than he thought it would. He got out of the bed, pulled on his jacket and scarf, and with his remaining willpower, bent down to kiss his friend on the forehead goodbye.

 

*

 

Tanaka exaggerated a sigh as he sank into their bed.

Ennoshita’s surprise party went off without a hitch, but all the last-minute running around to make sure it went down as planned was exhausting - followed by the party itself instead of some time to relax. But the bright smile Ennoshita flashed his way from time to time as they mingled with guests made it all worthwhile.

Ennoshita flopped beside him with a sigh of his own.

“Happy 26th birthday, babe.” Tanaka flashed him a tired smile, puckering his lips.

Ennoshita met him halfway for the quick kiss. “Thank you, Ryuu. I had good time.”

“But this is the best part!” Tanaka rolled on top of him to smile down at him. “You, me, and our nice, big bed.”

Ennoshita tapped Tanaka’s nose with his index finger. “You say that like we don’t do this every night.”

“Yeah, well, birthdays are special.” He leaned down to steal another quick kiss.

Ennoshita lifted his head to steal his own quick kiss. “Oh? What are we going to do tonight that’s so different?”

“We’re… gonna…” Tanaka trailed away as any new ideas popped into mind. Ennoshita had a point; the night would be no different from normal. They’d talk while holding each other, laugh a bit, probably some sex, definitely more cuddling… The tradition was no longer limited to birthday nights.

Not that he was going to complain about having the man he loved in his arms every night. He could spend the rest of his life like this.

Maybe he could make tonight a _little_ different.

“Hey, Chikara…” he began, looking into Ennoshita’s curious eyes, “how about we spend each of your birthdays together?”

“Wasn’t that the plan?” Ennoshita blinked back, confused.

“I’m tryna propose, Chika.”

“Oh.” Ennoshita’s lips formed a perfect ‘o’ as Tanaka’s words clicked into place. “Oh! You mean-- Oh!”

“Yeah, ‘oh’.” Tanaka grinned, chuckling at Ennoshita’s surprise. “Got an answer for me, or do you need--”

“Yes!” Ennoshita pulled him down into a kiss as rough as the first eight years ago, with the same desperation that told Tanaka he’d been waiting for this for too long.

 

*

 

Tanaka brought his fist up to the door for the sixth time, and for the sixth time his hand refused to knock on the door.

Maybe he should go home.

It was getting too cold. His scarf wasn’t a perfect defense against the wind, and the snow that snuck into his boots was beginning to soak his socks.

This could be the wrong address anyways, he told himself, knowing full well it was the right one.

Ennoshita himself gave him the address in a text when he moved back to town a few weeks ago. Said they should catch up. Tanaka agreed.

But he never responded after that.

How could he? How could he face him when he was still hopelessly in love with him, even after a year? How could he carry on a decent conversation without telling him all the ways he thought about fixing what they had, about everything he’d do differently, about how badly he wanted the chance to try again?

How could he bare to see him again just to know he moved on?

Tanaka didn’t fear much, but this… this might have been too much for his heart. Maybe it was better to try and forget this tradition, to forget what - and who - the 26th of December had meant to him. A year apart had done nothing to sway his feelings, but maybe in fives years, maybe in--

He would have ignored the phone ringing in his pocket if it wasn’t for the cheesy love song he had set for only one person. Fumbling to reach it from his pocket with his gloves, his hand shook as he brought it to his ear.

“Chikara?” his voice cracked.

“Ryuu…” Ennoshita sounded no better than he felt, but just to hear his voice, just to hear him say his name again was nearly enough to break him. “Are you… are you busy?”

“Nah.” He tried to say more, but too many thoughts fought for the chance to speak at once.

“Do you want to come over?” Ennoshita whispered.

“Yeah,” he whispered back, his voice cracking again. “Yeah, I… Open your door.”

It only took a few seconds for the door to swing open, revealing Ennoshita in his faded pajamas, bewildered eyes puffy and rimmed red. “Ryuu?”

Tanaka burst through the door, wrapping his arms tightly around Ennoshita and burying his face into the crook of his neck. When he felt Ennoshita tremble in his arms, he held even tighter, the tears escaping hot against his cold cheeks.

“Ryuu, I miss you so much, I--” Ennoshita sobbed into his shoulder, “I think about you so much, I was so stupid to let you go--”

“Shh, shh.” Tanaka rubbed his back, his own sob escaping him. “We were both stupid.”

Ennoshita lifted his head to face Tanaka, raising a hand to wipe at Tanaka’s cheek. “Can we try again?”

Tanaka nodded, his lip quivering before he hid his face against Ennoshita’s neck again.

The wind blowing through the open door broke their embrace just long enough for them to close it and make their way to Ennoshita’s room. The same soft - and now, far too small - bed from before Ennoshita left for university greeted them. They crawled under the covers, huddling close together to fit on the small mattress.

And they talked, with their arms finally wrapped around each other again.

They talked about the past year apart. They talked about what they missed about each other.

They talked about how they’ll work through their troubles, about how they won’t mess this up again.

And when he coaxed a smile out of Ennoshita, that fond smile he hadn’t seen in far too long, he knew everything would work out just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [Ziba](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ziba) for the help!!
> 
> The scarf was inspired by [ cybernya's fic "Wrapped"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8982232) which I totally recommend.
> 
> writing blog: [glitch-writes](http://glitch-writes.tumblr.com)  
> 


End file.
